Attachment for looms.



W. P. WATSON. ATTACHMENT FOR LOOMS. APPLICATION rum) JUNE 25,19ou.

926,447.- Patented June 29, 1909.

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W.. P. WATSON.

ATTACHMENT FOB LOOMS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 25,1908.

926,447. Patented June 29, 1909.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM P. WATSON, OF LIIDDLEIOWII, CONNIIC'IICUIT, ASSIGNOR OF ONF-TIIIRD 'lO PETER B. WATSON, OF COLUMBIA, PENNSYLVANIA, AND ONE-THIRD T0 EUGENE II. IIEURUIKIIA RD'I,

OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

T 0 all 107mm it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM P. WATSON, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Middletown, in the county of Middlesex and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and Improved Attachment for Looms, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention has in view a suitable mechanism in connection with a loom, for raising and lowering the weights used to maintain a tension on the warp. At frequent intervals in the operation of a loom, it is necessary for the tension to be removed from the warp in order to rip out an imperfect pick in the cloth. If the tension weights be removed from their cables instead of raising them in releasing the warp, it will be impossible to bring the warp back in precisely the same position after reapplying the weights, and a defective piece of cloth will result. The lifting of the tension weights of looms has heretofore been invariably performed directly by hand, and as they are of considerable weight, added to the fact that looms are operated largely if not exclusively by females, the successful operation of the loom involves an inhuman tax on the endurance. \Vith my invention both weights are simultaneously raised and lowered by mechanical means preferably operable from the front of the ma chine, which means permits of a heavier weighting and consequently the lengthening of the warp and an increase in production.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a partial side elevation of a loom having my improvement applied thereto Fig. 2 is a rear end elevation of the same and Fig. 3 is a crosssection on the line 33 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows.

In the drawings, 5 represents the frame of a well-known type of loom, having arms 6 extended at the rear, which are reinforced by curved brackets or supports 7, and provided with alining longitudinal slots 8. In these slots are adjustably secured hangers 9 which are extended above their connections with the arms, where they are provided with forked or other suitable bearings for the warp beam 10. To the opposite ends of the warp beam are fixed the customary friction wheels,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 25, 1908.

ATTACHMENT FOR LOOMS.

Patented June 29, 1909.

Serial No. 440,257.

around which are passed one or more times cables 11, having the tension weights 12,

which normally rest on the floor, attached to one end, and the normally suspended weights 12 secured to their opposite ends, drawing the cables tight about their respective friction wheels.

It is my purpose to provide mechanical means for raising the weights 12, as when it is desired to remove the tension from the warp in ripping out an imperfect pick. In accomplishing this I journal a hollow shaft 13, such as a pipe, on the lower ends of the arms 9, and provide the shaft with longitudinal slots 14 arranged at opposite sides. In these slots are placed buttons or other enlargements 15, attached to the extremities of chains or other flexible members 16, the said chains being provided at their outer and opposite ends with rings or other equivalent members 17, for attaching them to the hooks of the weight hangers, this construction permitting of the adjustment of the chains longitudinally of the shaft to bring them in alincment with the weights. At one side of the machine the shaft 13 is extended directly or by a separate member, to which is attached a bevel gear 18, in mesh with a similar gear 19 secured to a shaft 20, which shaft is arranged at the side of the machine and journaled in bearings 21, preferably of adjustable nature, and respectively carried by the adjacent bracket 7 and the forward portion of the machine frame. To the forward end of the shaft 20, at the front of the machine, is secured a ratchet wheel 22, at the outside of which is journalcd on the shaft 20 a hand lever 23, which, as best shown in Fig. 2, is provided with a pawl 24, normally forced into engagement with the ratchet wheel by a spring 25. The ratchet wheel is further engaged by a pawl 26, pivotally supported on a fixed part of the machine and operatively held to the ratchet wheel by a spring 27.

When it is desired to raise the weights 12 on a loom supplied with my attachment, the operator without moving from his or her position, reciprocates the hand lever L3 until the weights are raised to give sufficient slack on the warp. After the pick or other repair has been made, the weights are returned by advancing the ratchet wheel-sufficiently to release the pawl 26. This manner of raising and lowering the weights, obviously requires infinitely less physical exertion than is entailed'in directly lifting. the tension weights from the floor by hand.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by. Letters Patent:

1'. In a loom, means for maintaininga tension on the warp, having. weights applied thereto, a hollow slotted shaft journaled above the normal position of the Weights, flexible members connected to the Weights and having slidable'connections through'theslots of the shaft, and-means for revolving the shaft.

the side of the loomand operatively connected to the first mentionedshaft, means at the front of the loom to revolve the lastnamed shaft to wind and unwindthe flexible .devices on and from the shaft at the rear of the loom, whereby the. said certain weightsare raised and lowered, and means to lock the shaft at the side of theloom to support the said certain weights at an elevation.

3. In a loom, the combination of a Warp beam having friction wheels at opposite ends,

shaft and weights at corresponding ends of the cables, and means to revolve the shaft to wind and unwind the said devices thereon and'therefrom to raise and lower the weights.

4. In a loom, means for maintaining a tension on the Warp, having Weights, a shaft at the rear of the loom, flexible connections between the weights and the shaft, a shaft at the side of the loom, operatively connected with the first mentioned shaft, a ratchet wheelfiXed to the last mentioned shaft at the front of the loom, a hand lever having a pawl normally engaged with the ratchet wheel, and a pawl carried by a fixed part of the 100111, in operative engagement with said wheel.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM P. IVIA'ISON. Witnesses SHERMAN M. BACON, CHAS. II. BULLOCK, 

